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Who's Who - Alexandre Millerand

Alexandre Millerand (1859-1943) began
his political career as a moderate left-wing socialist. However,
experience as Minister of War brought about a consequent shift to the right.

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Millerand occupied the War
ministry twice, from 1912-13 and again from 1914-15, both times under
Raymond Poincare.
The year before the First World War broke out Millerand came out in support
of the controversial French plan to introduce three-year conscription, and
actively supported French rearmament for the coming war.

Having left the War
ministry in 1913 Millerand was subsequently brought back by
Rene Viviani's
wartime coalition in 1914, where he established notoriety for his rigid
policy of defending the autocratic Commander-in-Chief,
Joseph Joffre, from
most forms of political interference.

Millerand was in agreement
with Joffre's recommendation that the government decamp from Paris as the
First Battle
of the Marne approached in September 1914.

Millerand's conduct of
policy was somewhat weakened in May 1915 with the creation of two new
departments to oversee supplies of both artillery and ammunition.

In July 1915 Millerand
again came out in support of Joffre following the latter's dismissal of
General Maurice Sarrail.
As a rare military socialist Sarrail excited great sympathy among the
political elite. The furore surrounding his dismissal led to his
reinstatement in Salonika.

A separate controversy
subsequently engulfed Joffre - and Millerand again, who backed Joffre - for
his apparent refusal to provide reinforcements to Sarrail in Salonika.

With Viviani's fall from
office in October 1915 so Millerand lost his War ministry, and saw out the
remainder of the war from the political sidelines. He subsequently
served as premier in 1920 and, later that year, was elected President
(beating out successful wartime premier
Georges Clemenceau).

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Saturday, 22 August, 2009Michael Duffy

By 1918 the percentage of women to men working in Britain had risen to 37% from 24% at the start of the war.